Decaying stairways, leaky roofs and the crumbling walls of the National Western Stock Show complex were highlighted Friday in a tour for Denver’s elected officials.

Denver’s City Council could play a key role in future developments for the National Western that after operating in the city for 105 years, wants to move to Aurora.

Stock show officials wanted to make sure Denver council members understood the problems the complex faces — obsolete and aging buildings, not enough parking and an inability to schedule events year-round.

Also, the council saw how construction of a new commuter light rail stop near the stock show site will affect the buildings.

There are also discussions about reconstructing the Interstate 70 viaduct that could affect the stock show’s footprint.

“We are being strangled,” said Pat Grant, former president and chief executive officer of the stock show. “At some point, all of these issues will overwhelm us.”

The organization has lost nearly $5 million over the past decade maintaining aging buildings, according to tax documents.

The stock show wants to move from its 95 acres in north Denver to 300 acres next to a proposed 1,500-room Gaylord Entertainment hotel and convention center in Aurora.

But that plan could require Denver voters to approve a $150 million bond sale and would need an agreement between Denver and Aurora officials. Denver’s council would also need to let the National Western out of the remaining 29 years of its lease on the complex.

Critics of the plan are pushing to keep the stock show in Denver. Denver Mayor Michael Hancock has put together a task force to look at the issues, and the City Council has created a subcommittee that will meet monthly.

“It was enlightening to see it,” said councilman Charlie Brown, co-chair of the stock show committee. “The question isn’t about them leaving, it’s about where are they going to go.”

Throughout Friday’s tour, council members peppered stock show officials with questions while being shown examples of building decay and the constraints of the site.

Stairs to an exhibitor hall have mesh tacked up beneath them to catch the crumbling concrete. Mortar between bricks in the main stadium arena has turned to sand. Shifting soils have damaged foundations. Forty-seven holes have formed in the main arena’s roof. And five years ago a brick pediment on the arena fell off and crashed to the ground, which could have been disastrous, Grant said.

“If that would have happened during the stock show, we would have had a national disaster on our hands,” Grant said.

Councilwoman Judy Montero, whose district includes the stock show complex and who is heading the subcommittee, said it was important for the council members to get a first-hand look at the problems.

She also led the group to the nearby Elyria-Swansea neighborhood, which could be affected by an expansion of the National Western or any large-scale redevelopment of the property.

“I wanted people to see that it is a community that is full of hard-working people,” she said. “I don’t want them thrown under the bus.”

Jeremy P. Meyer was a reporter and editorial writer with The Denver Post until 2016. He worked at a variety of weeklies in Washington state before going to the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin as sports writer and then copy editor. He moved to the Yakima Herald-Republic as a feature writer, then to The Gazette in Colorado Springs as news reporter before landing at The Post. He covered Aurora, the environment, K-12 education, Denver city hall and eventually moved to the editorial page as a writer and columnist.

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